Local metal fans were treated to something extra special at House of Blues Anaheim on Monday night, as Slipknot and Stone Sour frontman Corey Taylor kicked off his first-ever month-long solo acoustic tour at the Downtown Disney venue. Prior to the show Taylor hosted a special meet-and-greet soundcheck with several adoring fans, who shared stories beforehand of how the songwriter has had an impact on their lives.

Clutching freshly autographed copies of Taylor's new book, The Seven Deadly Sins: Settling the Argument Between Born Bad and Damaged Good (released in July), a few patrons chatted about how Taylor, who has been candid about his own substance abuse, helped them overcome their own demons. Teary-eyed, one young woman shared that she brought her boyfriend to the show; at one point recently, he was so depressed he contemplated suicide by taking a handful of pills – but after hearing Stone Sour’s “Bother,” he decided otherwise.

Before this solo debut, I met up with Taylor backstage, where he guzzled coffee and tried to calm his nerves.

“I am terrified,” he admitted as we sat cozily on a small back couch in one of the dressing rooms. “If I wasn’t so over-the-top, just bouncy and garrulous, I’d probably be pooping my pants. I’m ecstatic – (these are) two of my favorite things to do, run my mouth and play acoustic songs.

"I can do that all day. As long as everyone walks away going, ‘Man, that was a blast,’ then I’ve done my job.”

Taylor says hearing from early-bird fans about how much his music and memoir has meant to them is humbling.

“There’s nothing to describe it. When you start out in this business – unless you’re a total (jerk) – you have no pretense. You hope for the best, but you try to keep an even-keeled mind; you don’t let the success blow you up and you don’t let the downfall bring you down.

"For me, everything I approach is like that. Writing the book, everyone was like, ‘It’s going to be fantastic’ and I was like, ‘Look, I’m just stoked to write it.’ If one person reads it, I’ll be ecstatic. So the fact that it’s done really well ... I’m over the moon about it. The fact that kids are coming to these shows, it means I’m doing something right, and it means I can write another one and feel OK about it.”

When Taylor finally appeared on stage – sporting jeans, a Star Wars hoodie and a newly grown-out beard – the crowd went insane as he walked the length of the stage, slapping high-fives, shaking hands and interacting face-to-face with his devotees. He laid down the ground rules right away: he would not strip, nor dance, nor talk about politics ... much.

With a large grin plastered on his face, he dug right in, riffing about whatever was on his mind, which this night including the lack of respect people have for one another and the absence of manners in today’s society. Growing up in Iowa, Taylor shares that he was raised to say “please and thank you” and how he was surprised by an L.A. waitresses’ shocked response to him expressing gratitude with a simple “thank you.”

He then read a section from Seven Deadly Sins about how he lost the first job at which he felt he was really good. He worked at a large record store chain (he didn’t name it) and was fired for having long hair, despite being a model employee. Taylor then indulged a Q&A portion of the evening; he shared backstage that he was prepared for anything.

One excited female fan asked if he would have her baby. “Will I have your baby?" he responded. "I don’t have a womb, so ... no.”

He shared his experience trying out for Velvet Revolver, once former frontman Scott Weiland went back to Stone Temple Pilots. He cut a few demos with the group, then flew to Los Angeles to audition in person. Taylor is an arena-filling success in his own right, yet he says he’s still very much a fan and was intimidated by Velvet Revolver guitarist Slash.

“I was like, 'That’s (bleeping) Slash!' And I’m saying this to Duff McKagan.”

Taylor also touched on bullying, sincerely telling the fan who asked a question about the burning topic, “It’s temporary. In high school and college, it’s so temporary. You have the rest of your life to build yourself.” On the NBA lockout: “When millionaires are fighting billionaires for pennies, that shows how petty (they) are.”

Slipknot and Stone Sour frontman Corey Taylor speaks to his fans during an appearance Monday night at House of Blues Anaheim. ANA P. GUTIERREZ, FOR THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Corey Taylor speaks to his fans as he shows off his new book 'Seven Deadly Sins' during his appearance Monday night at House of Blues Anaheim. ANA P. GUTIERREZ, FOR THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Slipknot and Stone Sour frontman Corey Taylor performs for fans during his appearance Monday night at House of Blues Anaheim. ANA P. GUTIERREZ, FOR THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Corey Taylor performs during his appearance Monday night at House of Blues Anaheim. ANA P. GUTIERREZ, FOR THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Corey Taylor performs during his appearance Monday night at House of Blues Anaheim. ANA P. GUTIERREZ, FOR THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Slipknot and Stone Sour frontman Corey Taylor waves to his fans during his appearance Monday night at House of Blues Anaheim. ANA P. GUTIERREZ, FOR THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Corey Taylor speaks to fans during his appearance Monday night at House of Blues Anaheim. ANA P. GUTIERREZ, FOR THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Corey Taylor reads a piece from his new book 'Seven Deadly Sins' during his appearance Monday night at House of Blues Anaheim. ANA P. GUTIERREZ, FOR THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Corey Taylor answers questions from fans during his appearance Monday night at House of Blues Anaheim. ANA P. GUTIERREZ, FOR THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Corey Taylor answers questions from fans during his appearance Monday night at House of Blues Anaheim. ANA P. GUTIERREZ, FOR THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Corey Taylor performs during his appearance Monday night at House of Blues Anaheim. ANA P. GUTIERREZ, FOR THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Corey Taylor's book 'Seven Deadly Sins' was on sale during his appearance Monday night at House of Blues Anaheim. ANA P. GUTIERREZ, FOR THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Corey Taylor's new book 'Seven Deadly Sins' was on sale during his appearance Monday night at House of Blues Anaheim. ANA P. GUTIERREZ, FOR THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Slipknot and Stone Sour frontman Corey Taylor speaks with Register reporter Kelli Skye Fadroski during an interview before his appearance Monday night at House of Blues Anaheim. ANA P. GUTIERREZ, FOR THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Slipknot and Stone Sour frontman Corey Taylor speaks with Register reporter Kelli Skye Fadroski during an interview before his appearance Monday night at House of Blues Anaheim. ANA P. GUTIERREZ, FOR THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Slipknot and Stone Sour frontman Corey Taylor speaks with Register reporter Kelli Skye Fadroski during an interview before his appearance Monday night at House of Blues Anaheim. ANA P. GUTIERREZ, FOR THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Slipknot and Stone Sour frontman Corey Taylor speaks with Register reporter Kelli Skye Fadroski during an interview before his appearance Monday night at House of Blues Anaheim. ANA P. GUTIERREZ, FOR THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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